After Unlocked, a sokeefe Fanfiction.

Shock

Love, Keefe

The last words he'd spoken to her, or I guess written to her? It was all a jumble in her mind, but luckily it was written on paper right in front of her. Well... maybe that wasn't too lucky now that she thought about it.  Sophie shook her head, trying to clear the anxiousness from her head. Her heart hurt.  

Sophie picked up the letter once more, staring at the last line, tracing the letters with her finger. Pondering how Keefe could leave her like this, leave them all. She had no idea how long she stayed that way but it must have been a few hours because when she looked outside it was pitch black. 

"Sophie, are you awake?" A soft voice called from across her room. Flori. When had she come in? 

"Yeah. I am." Sophie said slowly, almost emotionlessly. Turning on a lamp next too her bed so she could glimpse the gnome easier who was watching her with sympathy. She sighed, turning away from the gnomes gaze and laying back against her bed. 

"I moved your imp, hes been very quite." 

Sophie nodded her head, still lying down and not bothering too ponder how she hadn't noticed this. She closed her eyes, trying to block out the light, sounds, thoughts. From behind her Flori sighed. 

"Your father explained to us what happened, Sandor's guarding the door but I wanted to check in on you. And here I found the Moonlark staring at something in the dark." 

Her father? Grady. Why had he known Keefe was gone? Had he seen the letter? The imp? No... basing guesses without reading it would have been too farfetched, and the letter had been unopened when she saw it. So why would he know before her? He couldn't. Unless...

Sophie sat straight up, staring out into the mildly lit room, her mind in a whirlwind. 

Grady knew. And that meant... he'd seen Keefe. Sophie took a step out of her bed, lifting a finger to her lips signaling Flori to remain silent. She nodded and than Sophie walked out, Sandor glanced at her as she walked out but didn't bother moving, only whispering,

"If you leave the house I'm going with you."

Sophie nodded, walking farther away from him. That was fine, she wasn't leaving after all, she was paying a visit to an elf. An elf that had a lot of explaining to do, Grady. She had some questions that he would have answers too. And she would get all her answers, no matter who it hurt. 

Sophie knocked on her parents door quickly, not bothering too wait for them to answer as she opened the door to see Edaline still asleep and Grady wiping his eyes. 

"Oh. Sophie." Grady said, watching her for moment before he walked over too the door. 

"What are you here for?" 

"Answers." Sophie said briskly and took his hand, pulling him out the door and into the hallway. Once she had pulled him back into her room she sat down on her bed, gesturing for Grady to do the same. 

"You saw Keefe. Didnt you?" Sophie asked accusingingly. 

"What? No. I..." Grady stuttered, looking more out of place than she had ever seen him. But she didnt feel any sympathy when he closed his mouth and swallowed. 
 

"Yeah. I saw him. But Sophie I-" 

"Don't say another word. I don't want any excuses, I want answers." Sophie said, realizing she sounded more offensive than she had meant it to but didn't bother correcting herself, instead she added an icy glare that made Grady purse his lips, waiting silently. 

"What happened when you saw him?" Sophie asked, watching him intently. 

"I... asked him what he was doing here." Grady said looking uncertain, as if he wasn't sure how much to say. 

"And?" Sophie asked, wiling him to speak more. 

"He was going to leave, the letter was his goodbye." 

Sophie closed her eyes for a few seconds, anger bubbling inside her. 

"And you just let him leave?" Sophie asked angrily scooting farther away from him. 

"I told him what you did today. With the Neverseen's storehouse." 

"And what happened than?" Sophie asked, not meeting Grady's eyes when he spoke. 

"He asked if you were okay."

Okay? She didn't think so. Positively in rage? Yes. Very much so. 

"I'm fine." 

"He cares a lot about you Sophie." Grady prodded at her, she shook her head, ignoring the comment.

"Why did you let him leave?"  She asked again, reaffirming her icy tone.

"He... seemed like he really wanted too, needed too." Grady said cautiously. 

Sophie let out a dark laugh, like pin needles stabbing at the air.

"SO just because he wanted to go you didn't stop him? No, you wanted him to go didn't you?" Sophie said, hardly believing Grady's story. 

"No, I-"

"Don't bother disagreeing, with both know how much you hate Keefe, you wanted to prove a point? prove that you're right about him? is that it? You're a mesmer for goodness sake. you could've made Keefe stay. but instead you let him walk out the door." Sophie said, and the look in Grady's eyes almost made her regret her words but his next ones didn't. 

"He light-leaped actually." Grady mumbled. "And no I didn't want him to leap away, it may surprise you but I see value in your guyses friendship.

Not much of a friendship now that he's gone, she thought bleakly. But if she could find him again...

"What color was his crystal?" Sophie persisted, wondering if he'd even saw it, but a flinch from Grady's eyes confirmed he had.

"I shouldn't tell you."

"Oh yes you should, if you really cared about me you would." Sophie said bitterly, her mind racing, yelling at her about her hurtful words, another cheered her on, willing her to go farther, faster, two conflicting voices in her head that she was desperate too ignore. 

"Sophie I'm your father, of course I care about you. But I told Ke-"

"No your not," Sophie spoke, silencing Grady who looked at her confused.

Don't say it, one voice screamed inside her mind, filling her thoughts with other choices, other options. Ways to be calmer, happier, in control. Don't you dare take that step. 

But the other voice cheered as those thoughts turned to ice and added too her anger, her rage, her momentum of hurt. It screeched more words, more hurt, more pain, so others could understand what she was feeling. So they felt the pain she felt. Say it. You mean the words, so say it. 

"You're not my father." Sophie said simply, shocked at her own words but didn't take them back, she had gone too far.

Grady's face was filled with hurt, frozen in place, he opened his mouth and than closed it. He shook his head, taking a deep breath before he spoke.

"Fine, you want to act like that? Go ahead. But I'm not about to tell you what kind of crystal it was." 

Sophie looked at him bitterly. If he wouldn't tell her shed just find out for herself. 

Not bothering to consider the risks Sophie placed a hand on Grady's temples and before he could pull away she dove into his mind and found the information she needed at the very front of his mind. 

"Blue." She muttered aloud, after she removed her hand from Grady's shocked face. 

"The crystal was blue."